Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 Printer Review

Tested using Methodology v1.2
Review updated Apr 18, 2023 at 04:18 pm
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 Picture
7.7
Family
7.4
Small/Home Office
8.2
Student
7.8
Black & White
7.8
Photo
6.4
Color Quality
8.0
Document Quality
6.7
Scanner
7.8
Speed

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is an all-in-one inkjet printer. This printer is also known as the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3823 at Walmart. It uses a four-cartridge system and is compatible with Epson's T822 and T822XL high-yield ink cartridges. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet, and it can also print directly off a USB flash drive. It works with Epson's Smart Panel mobile app, which you can use to print, scan, copy, and perform maintenance tasks. The scanner is equipped with an automatic feeder to process multi-page documents quickly, but it doesn't support duplex scanning.

Our Verdict

7.7 Family

The Epson WF-3820 is a very good family printer. It has wide connectivity options, making it easy for every household member to access. It produces high-quality documents, prints fairly quickly, and doesn't cost much to maintain as the ink cartridges are cheap. For photo printing, printed photos look very detailed but grainy and not very color-accurate. Another downside is that the scanner has trouble capturing fine details, so it isn't the best for digitizing photos.

Pros
  • Produces sharp documents.
  • Low maintenance costs.
  • Lots of connectivity options.
  • Produces very detailed photos.
Cons
  • Low black page yield.
  • Photos look grainy.
  • Most colors look different from the original.
7.4 Small/Home Office

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is a decent printer for a home or small office. It has an efficient design that makes accessing paper jams and ink cartridges easy. It produces sharp documents and prints fairly quickly overall. As for its page yield, its black ink cartridge runs out quickly, but the color cartridges last a while. The cartridges are cheap, though, so the printer won't cost too much to maintain over time. Unfortunately, although the scanner is equipped with an automatic feeder, it doesn't support duplex scanning, so you'll have to flip the pages manually when scanning double-sided sheets.

Pros
  • Produces sharp documents.
  • Low maintenance costs.
  • Lots of connectivity options.
Cons
  • No duplex scanning.
  • Low black page yield.
  • Slow to print color documents.
8.2 Student

The Epson WF-3820 is great for students. It produces sharp documents and prints fairly quickly overall. You need to replace the black cartridge frequently, but at least it's cheap, so your maintenance cost will remain low. The scanner has an automatic feeder, but it doesn't support duplex scanning, and the scan quality is mediocre, as it has a hard time capturing fine details. Also, while the lid hinges can extend to accommodate thicker items like textbooks, the range is very limited, so you might still have trouble closing the lid over really thick books.

Pros
  • Produces sharp documents.
  • Low maintenance costs.
  • Lots of connectivity options.
Cons
  • No duplex scanning.
  • Low black page yield.
7.8 Black & White

The Epson WF-3820 is good for printing black-and-white documents. It produces sharp documents and prints fairly quickly at up to 19 pages per minute. Its black ink cartridge runs out pretty quickly, which means you'll have to replace it often, but it's cheap, so you won't have to spend too much on maintenance. Unfortunately, the scanner doesn't support duplex scanning, and the scan quality is mediocre, as it has trouble picking up finer details.

Pros
  • Produces sharp documents.
  • Lots of connectivity options.
  • Quick printing speed for black-only documents.
  • Prints black-and-white documents quickly.
Cons
  • No duplex scanning.
  • Low black page yield.
7.8 Photo

The Epson Workforce WF-3820 is good for photo printing. Its photo printing cost is quite low, so you won't be paying much per print. Printed photos look incredibly detailed but grainy, there's also some banding in dark areas. Also, while the photos still look relatively natural, most colors look different from the original.

Pros
  • Low maintenance costs.
  • Produces very detailed photos.
  • Supports various paper sizes up to 8.5 x 11" and borderless printing.
Cons
  • Photos look grainy.
  • Most colors look different from the original.
6.4 Color Quality
8.0 Document Quality
8.2 Recurring Costs
  • 7.7 Family
  • 7.4 Small/Home Office
  • 8.2 Student
  • 7.8 Black & White
  • 7.8 Photo

Performance Usages

  • 6.4 Color Quality
  • 8.0 Document Quality
  • 6.7 Scanner
  • 7.8 Speed
  • 8.2 Recurring Costs
  1. Updated Apr 18, 2023: We've updated the review to provide more information in the Expected Maintenance, Scan Quality, Black and White Documents, Color Documents, Color Gamut, and Small Details sections.
  2. Updated Sep 21, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  3. Updated Sep 01, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  4. Updated May 27, 2022: This model can print custom sizes. This lets you print on A5 paper, even if that size isn't in the presets, so we changed the A5 result in Printing Size from 'No' to 'Yes'.
  5. Updated Feb 23, 2022: Reshot and updated the 'In Use Picture'.
  6. Updated Feb 18, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  7. Updated Oct 30, 2020: Review published.
  8. Updated Oct 26, 2020: Early access published.
  9. Updated Oct 19, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
  10. Updated Oct 14, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  11. Updated Oct 08, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820. There's only one variant, the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3823. It's the same printer as the WF-3820 but exclusive to Walmart.

You can see our unit's label here.

Compared To Other Printers

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is a versatile inkjet printer. It has very good color accuracy and its photo quality should be decent enough for school assignments and reports. The scanner features are great, especially if you want to digitize old photos. However, its cartridge system isn't the best, and there are other printers with much higher page yields.

For other options, check out our recommendations for the best home printers, the best office printers, and the best inkjet printers.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4830

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4830 and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are very similar overall. The main difference is that the WF-4830 can automatically scan double-sided sheets, which the WF-3820 can't do, and it produces better-quality scans. The WF-4830 also has a larger input tray capacity, so you don't need to refill it as often.

Epson WorkForce WF-2950

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is much better than the Epson WorkForce WF-2950. The WF-3820 produces higher quality documents, prints faster, and yields significantly more prints, making it cheaper to maintain. Its color range isn't as good as the WF-2950, but it produces finer details in photos and is more color accurate. On the other hand, the WF-2950 produces much better scans.

Canon PIXMA TR8620

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 and the Canon PIXMA TR8620 are all-in-one color inkjet printers that are good for families and students, but the Canon is better for photo printing. The Canon produces much better-looking photos with good detail and vibrant colors, and it has a higher color page yield and a lower photo cost-per-print. On the other hand, the Epson is better for small or home offices, with a better black page yield and black-only document cost-per-print, and it prints much faster.

Canon PIXMA TR4520

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 and the Canon PIXMA TR4520 are both all-in-one printers, but the Epson performs much better overall. It has a much lower cost-per-print, much higher page yield for both black and color documents, and a significantly faster print speed. It has a responsive touch screen and great connectivity options including Wi-Fi Direct printing. Conversely, the Canon produces higher-quality photos. 

Canon PIXMA TR8520

The Canon PIXMA TR8520 is a better printer overall than the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820. The Canon has a wider color range and better color accuracy. It also yields more color prints, making it cheaper to maintain. On the other hand, the Epson has a quicker printing speed, and the input tray can hold double the amount the Canon can.

HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e [8022e, 8028e, 8035e]

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are very similar overall. The HP produces higher quality documents and scans, but it doesn't print as quickly as the Epson, and it costs slightly more to maintain because its black ink cartridge runs out faster. For photo printing, the Epson has a wider color range and produces finer details, but the HP is more color-accurate.

Epson WorkForce ST-M1000

The Epson WorkForce ST-M1000 is a monochrome supertank printer, while the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is an all-in-one inkjet model. If you frequently print a large number of pages in black and white, the ST-M1000 is a better choice since it has a much higher black page yield at a significantly lower cost-per-print. Also, it takes less time to warm up to print out its first page. On the other hand, if you need to scan documents and print in color, the WF-3820 is a better choice. It has much better photo printing quality, a fax feature, and support for printing directly off a USB flash drive. Also, while its warm-up time is slower than the ET-M1000, its subsequent pages print out quicker.

HP OfficeJet Pro 6978

The HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are inkjet printers designed for home offices, but the Epson performs better overall. The Epson can print more pages before its cartridges run out, saving you more money in the long term. Also, it prints much faster, even if you're just printing out one page. On the other hand, the HP's ADF can automatically scan double-sided sheets, and it also produces slightly higher-quality documents and scans.

Epson WorkForce WF-2850

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 and the Epson WorkForce WF-2850 are very similar printers, but the WF-3820 is better overall. It has a larger touchscreen display that's easier to navigate, scans much faster, and prints much faster. If you print many pages, the WF-2830 has a higher page yield, which gives it a lower cost per print even though its cartridges are more expensive.

HP OfficeJet 8015e

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is much better than the HP OfficeJet 8015e. The Epson feels sturdier build-wise, and it has more features, like Ethernet connectivity and fax functionality. It prints and scans faster than the HP, and its cost-per-print is lower because its ink cartridges yield more prints. It isn't quite as color-accurate as the HP when printing photos; however, it can produce finer details and a wider range of colors.

+ Show more

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
8.0
Design
Build Quality
Type All in One

The Epson WF-3820 feels well-built. It has a sturdy, durable-feeling plastic body, with no obvious gaps in the construction. The scan lid stays fully open on its own and feels solid as well. The lid's hinges can extend to accommodate thicker items like textbooks and magazines, but the range is limited, so you might still have trouble closing the lid if the item is too thick. You can access the sheet rollers by removing a cover at the back and the ink cartridges by lifting the flatbed scanner. The right rear corner houses a removable maintenance box that stores ink flushed during the print head cleaning; you need to replace it once it's full.

Unfortunately, there's only one input tray, and you can't have both regular paper and photo paper loaded at once. If you want to use a different type of paper, you need to manually unload and reload the tray with the right type of paper each time. Also, the printer needs to be on to replace the ink cartridges.

Design
Dimensions
Height 9.7" (24.7 cm)
Width 16.7" (42.4 cm)
Depth 14.8" (37.6 cm)
Height When In Use
10.8" (27.5 cm)
Width When In Use
16.7" (42.4 cm)
Depth When In Use
19.1" (48.6 cm)
Weight
19.6 lbs (8.9 kg)
6.5
Design
Expected Maintenance
Ink Related Maintenance
Expected
Drum Unit
No Drum Unit

This printer requires a fair amount of maintenance. Like most inkjet printers, the printheads can clog if you don't print regularly. There are maintenance functions built-in to help resolve any clogging or print quality issues, like printhead cleaning, printhead nozzle check, power cleaning, printhead alignment, and paper guide cleaning. Depending on how much you print, you may need to replace the ink cartridges often, especially the black ink cartridge. Replacing the cartridges is easy; you just need to ensure the printer is on and select the Ink Cartridge Replacement function to access the cartridge bay. For paper jams, you can access the sheet rollers through the back panel. The input tray holds 250 sheets of paper, which is a good amount, so you likely won't need to refill it often unless you print a lot.

You can see the user manual here

7.5
Design
Display Screen
Display Screen Yes
Display Screen Size
2.6" (6.7 cm)
Touchscreen Yes

The display is good. It's easy to see whether you're sitting or standing, and you can tilt the display panel to improve visibility. The user interface is easy to navigate, and if you're confused about how to do something, how-to diagrams are available by pressing the Help button.

6.5
Design
Cartridge
Technology Inkjet
SuperTank
No
Photo Cartridge
No
Color Yes
Number Of Color Cartridges
3
Black Cartridge Model
Epson T822
Tested Black Page Yield
19 prints
Estimated Black Page Yield
361 prints
Color Cartridge Model
Epson T822 C/M/Y
Tested Color Page Yield
12 prints
Estimated Color Page Yield
255 prints
Third Party Cartridge
Not Found At Time Of The Review
Ink Type
Pigment
High Yield Cartridge
Yes

The cartridge system is only okay. The black page yield is pretty low, but the color page yield is good. There are three different color cartridges, so you can change the empty ones without needing to replace them all at once. You need to replace the black ink cartridge as soon as it runs out because the printer won't print with color cartridges only. There are high-capacity cartridges (T822XL) that'll last longer, although we didn't test these.

If you're looking for a similarly priced color inkjet printer with superior page yields, check out the Brother MFC-J4335DW.

7.4
Design
Scanner Features
Scanner
ADF + Flatbed
ADF Capacity
35 pages
Scan Speed
8 PPM
Duplex Scanning
No
Max Flatbed Scan Size
8.5" x 11"
Max ADF Scan Size
8.5" x 14"
Flatbed Hinge Adjustability
0.56" (14 mm)
Fax
Yes
Copy
Yes
OCR Included
Software

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 has decent scanner features. Its automatic document feeder (ADF) can process sheets fairly quickly, but it doesn't support duplex scanning, so you'll have to flip the pages manually when scanning double-sided documents. Its OCR (optical character recognition) feature lets you scan and save documents as PDFs for quick keyword searches, but it's software-based, which means you need to install the Epson ScanSmart app to use it. The OCR works well; it only makes mistakes when there are special characters.

6.0
Design
Scan Quality
Max Scan Resolution
1,200 DPI
Max Scan Color Depth
24Bit

The scan quality is mediocre. The scanner boosts the contrast slightly, making text look sharper, but it doesn't capture finer details, which isn't ideal for digitizing photos and graphics.

Design
In The Box

  • User manual
  • Installation CD
  • Power cable
  • Epson T822 starter cartridges:
    • 1x Black
    • 1x Cyan
    • 1x Magenta
    • 1x Yellow

Design
Battery
Advertised Battery Life
N/A
Tested Charging Time
N/A
Document
8.0
Document
Black & White Documents
Color Ink Needed For Black & White
Yes

The print quality for black-and-white documents is great. Most text looks clear, although smaller text on a colored background is very blurry and hard to read. Otherwise, all the fine elements come through. The only other complaint is that the colored areas look quite grainy.

8.0
Document
Color Documents

The print quality for color documents is great. Text looks sharp, and all the fine elements are present. However, smaller text on a colored background is a bit harder to read, and the colors look a tad muted.

8.2
Document
Cost-Per-Print
Black Cartridge Price
19.99 US$
Color Cartridge Price
34.45 US$
Black-Only Printing Cost
0.055 US$/print
Color Printing Cost
0.135 US$/print
Photo Printing Cost
0.359 US$/print
Ink Subscription
No

The cost-per-print is great. Although the ink cartridges don't last very long, they're relatively cheap, so your running costs will remain low over time.

7.8
Document
Printing Speed
Black Only Text Document
19 PPM
Color Document
8 PPM
Photo Printing Time
59.0 s
Single Page Out Time (Black Only)
13.0 s
Duplex Printing
Automatic
Input Tray Capacity
250 pages

The overall printing speed is very good. Although the first page takes some time to come out, subsequent pages get faster after that, especially for black-only documents. The photo printing speed is decent and within the typical range for inkjet printers. If you'd like a printer with a higher input tray capacity, check out the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840.

Document
Document Printing Sizes
Letter (8.5" x 11") Yes
Legal (8.5" x 14") Yes
Tabloid (11" x 17") No
A6 (105mm x 148mm) Yes
A5 (148mm x 210mm) Yes
A4 (210mm x 297mm) Yes
Max Paper Weight
256 g/m²

In addition to the preset sizes, you can also set a custom size for paper between 3.5 inches to 47.2 inches in length. This also lets you print on A5-sized paper if you set the measurements manually. Unfortunately, the input tray can only hold one format of paper at a time, which is bothersome if you often switch between regular paper and photo paper.

Photo
6.5
Photo
Color Gamut

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 has an okay color gamut. It reproduces bright, saturated tones well but struggles with lighter shades of blue and darker shades of green and yellow. Unfortunately, color transitions aren't smooth at all, as there's a lot of grain and some banding as well.

The print quality is noticeably worse near the left and right edges. This is due to borderless printing and is present on all 4 x 6 photos. The printer warns you about the loss in print quality the first time you use borderless printing.

6.3
Photo
Color Accuracy
Average Color dE
7.53

The color accuracy is passable. Most colors look different from the original, especially blues and yellow. Printed photos still look relatively natural, albeit with a very warm tone.

9.5
Photo
Small Details
Max Print Resolution (DPI)
4800 x 2400

The Epson WF-3820 is outstanding at reproducing small details. Fine elements look clear; it's mainly distant objects that get blurry due to the use of halftones (dot effect).

9.5
Photo
Photo Printing Sizes
Glossy Paper (4" x 6") Yes
Glossy Paper (5" x 7") Yes
Glossy Paper (8" x 10") Yes
Glossy Paper (8.5" x 11") Yes
Glossy Paper (13" x 19") No
Borderless Printing
Yes

This printer supports borderless printing; however, printing borderless may cause a slight decrease in print quality.

Mobile App And Connectivity
9.0
Mobile App And Connectivity
Connectivity
Ethernet
Yes
USB Input To Computer
Yes
Wireless
Yes
Bluetooth
No
Wi-Fi via Router
Yes
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
External Storage Support
Yes
Apple AirPrint
Yes
Mopria Print Service
Yes

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 can print directly off a USB flash drive. The USB port is on the front left side of the printer and has a protective cover over it.

10
Mobile App And Connectivity
Mobile App
Mobile App Yes
App Name Epson Smart Panel
iOS Yes
Android Yes
Photo (JPEG, PNG)
Android and iOS
PDF
Android and iOS
Microsoft Office Files
Android Only
Text Files (TXT)
Android Only
Webpages (HTML)
Android and iOS

The Epson Smart Panel app is very feature-rich. It lets you print, scan, and copy directly from your mobile device. It also lets you check ink levels, perform maintenance tasks like firmware updates, nozzle checks, printhead cleaning, and order new cartridges right from the app. You can print most file types on both Android and iOS, but some don't work on iOS. For example, when printing a Microsoft Office document from the iOS version of the app, the document's format isn't converted properly, meaning the result is a mobile version of the print. Also, TXT files aren't supported by the iOS version of the app. That said, you can still print both file types using Apple AirPrint.

Mobile App And Connectivity
OS Compatibility
Windows Fully
macOS Fully
Chrome OS Fully

You need to install drivers on Windows devices to use the printer, but not on Chrome OS or macOS devices. You can find the drivers here.